Cinema 4D Crashes on Startup

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Run Cinema 4D on the dedicated GPU

   Copy steps
   1. Open Windows Settings > System > Display > Graphics
   2. Add Cinema 4D and set it to High performance
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Clean install the graphics driver

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   1. Follow Maxon's guide to update or clean install the driver for Cinema 4D and Redshift
   2. Restart and test
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Isolate plugins

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   1. Start Cinema 4D in safe mode
   2. If it opens, re-enable plugins one at a time
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Reset preferences

   Copy steps
   1. Rename the Cinema 4D preferences folder
   2. Launch again to create fresh ones
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Cinema 4D closes, freezes or shows a blank window while loading.

Why it happens

• Windows giving Cinema 4D the integrated GPU instead of the dedicated card
• Outdated or buggy graphics driver
• A third-party plugin crashing during load
• Corrupted preferences

This guide also covers

• cinema 4d crashes on startup
• cinema 4d won't open
• cinema 4d crashing

The same problem in other apps

All crashes, freezes & blank screens guides →

• How to Recover Unsaved or Crashed Blender Files (Blender)
• Maya Crashes on Startup or Won't Open (Maya)
• 3ds Max Crashes on Startup (3ds Max)
• Unity Hub Not Opening (Unity)

Other Cinema 4D errors

• Cinema 4D Sign In OK, Waiting for Maxon App
• Cinema 4D License Not Found or No Offline License Found
• Redshift Missing or Not Loading in Cinema 4D
• Redshift Error: Missing or Corrupted Shader Kernel
• Redshift Out of VRAM in Cinema 4D
• Redshift Stuck on Initializing OptiX RT
• Cinema 4D Viewport Slow or Laggy
• Cinema 4D Crashes While Rendering